Owner in child attack ordered to remove all dogs
The owner of a Staffordshire bull terrier that attacked a 3-year-old girl last month inside a Spring restaurant has been ordered not to keep any dogs in her home as her criminal case proceeds in court.
State District Judge Hilary Unger on Wednesday set bond conditions for Jennifer Romano, also requiring that the 46-year-old woman not have contact with the injured girl or her family.
Romano was booked Monday into the Harris County Jail on felony charges of injury to a child and tampering with evidence. She made her combined bond of $7,500 on Wednesday, according to court documents.
Her attorney, Angela Weltin, said Romano owns several dachshunds that she will no longer be able to keep in her home. She also owned Kingston, the terrier who on Jan. 9 lunged and bit Ronin Waldroup on the face at the Loose Caboose Restaurant, deputies said.
The girl was treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Woodlands for deep lacerations, puncture wounds and tearing to the skin on the right side of her face. She received 14 stitches and may have to undergo plastic surgery, court records state.
Weltin on Wednesday called the attack by Kingston, a rescue dog, a “tragedy.”
“Our hearts go out to (Ronin) and her family,” Weltin said. “We are praying for a swift recovery and full healing. Kingston has since been euthanized. The sad story continues as the rescue dog owner, Jennifer Romano, is charged by the District Attorney’s Office with two serious felony offenses arising out of the sorrowful event.”
Through their attorney, Maureen Farrell, the girl’s family said they were grateful that the district attorney’s office charged Romano with the felonies.
“While the criminal process does not heal Ronin's wounds, it brings the family comfort to know that our community takes seriously the horrible decision Romano made to put Kingston, who had bitten before, in a service vest and bring him into a restaurant,” Farrell said. “Romano knew the staff would probably not say a word and were likely not trained in the ADAcompliant questions they could and should ask."
The Waldroup family’s statement points at whether Romano complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Kingston had been wearing a “service dog” vest during the attack, authorities said, and Romano’s doctor had previously stated that her animals helped her with her general anxiety disorder.
Dogs that provide only comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals, which the act defines as dogs trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
Service dog educator Kaydin Downey said her company, Hamilton at Your Service LLC, which conducts workshops and consultations about service dogs, was relieved to see charges filed.
“Knowing she was roaming free with multiple other animals with potentially more ‘service dog’ vests of their own, as a witness testified to in court, was frightening to everyone, especially the Waldroups who are trying their best to resume back to normal life,” Downey said.
“Ronin is still trying her best to cope every day and though we specialize in disabilities including PTSD and aiding families in offering support and techniques, Cece and James have been doing flawlessly on their own. Ronin has a long journey ahead of her but she has the absolute best parents in the world to support her during this time.”
Witnesses said Romano fled the scene after the unprovoked attack, and authorities also said she concealed Kingston from deputies while they were trying to seize the dog. Kingston was euthanized following a Montgomery County judge’s ruling, despite Romano’s claims that the dog could be retrained.
The dog had bitten people in at least two other attacks, including one within the last year, one Harris County investigator said.
The latest attack occurred while both parties stood in line at the restaurant at 26403 Preston Ave. One witness, who arrived at the Loose Caboose with Kingston, told investigators the girl “grazed” the dog before the incident. He added that Romano told him it was the girl’s fault, according to charging documents.
Another witness claimed that they saw Ronin standing 1 or 2 feet behind the dog before it turned around and bit her face.
In recent years, Romano also has been named in multiple lawsuits surrounding a different dog, a pit bull named Gus, whom she claimed to be rehabilitating through her now-defunct business, Maggie’s House Rescue.
In a previous bite case in 2013, a Montgomery County judge ruled that Gus caused serious bodily injury and ordered the dog euthanized.